Stay
by TheCrimsonGhost309
Summary: Alternative ending to the anime. Riza arrives just in time and manages to save Roy from Archer, but gets badly injured as a price. Will she survive? RoyAi.
1. Don't Go

**A new story! YAY! And well, to be honest, I like Brotherhood/Mangaverse MUCH more than the anime, but I still like it. **Anyway this is just an idea that popped into my head, while watching episode 51 of the anime.** **

**Anyway, Disclaimer: I Don't , and never will, Own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters. All belongs to Hiromu Arakawa.**

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She could see the flames of the burning house in the distance. Running as fast as she could, First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye could only hope that the Colonel was still alive, that she wasn't too late to save him. Her arm stung where Archer shot her, but she couldn't care less, the only thing on her mind was the colonel.

Finally, she saw them. Mustang was standing on the mansion's steps, bloodied and hurt, but alive nonetheless. Archer stood in front of him, his back facing Riza. Without hesitation, she aimed and pulled the trigger, only to have Archer turn on her, shooting as well. She felt bullets ripping through her but somehow kept standing and shooting at Archer, who fell lifeless to the ground.

Letting the pain take hold of her, she closed her eyes as she fell to the ground underneath. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew she would probably die like that someday, sacrificing herself for the Colonel. For Roy. She succeeded, she saved him. He was alive. And now she was probably going to die right here. She would never get to tell him how she truly felt.

She suddenly felt pressure on her wounds, and flinched in pain. A groan escaped her lips as she struggled to get away from whatever was causing it.

"Lieutenant, it's alright. It's me. Please try not to move or your bleeding will get worse."

She cracked her eyes open, only to see the Colonel hovering over her, worry evident in his eyes. There was another thing in there, another emotion. Wait, could it be..? "C-Colonel…" She muttered, her voice weak and pained; it was agony for him to hear.

"Shh, it's alright. Don't try to talk, save your strength. You're going to be fine."

"But...Colonel…your injuries…"

"Don't worry about me now. I'm alright. Hold on, I'm going to try to stop the bleeding." She winced as he applied pressure again, gritting her teeth. Another moan escaped her throat as the pain intensified. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Shh. I know. I know. But I have to. Come on Hawkeye, just hang in there."

She opened her mouth to say something, but coughed harshly instead. She felt blood coming out of her mouth as she coughed again. Quickly, but gently, he cupped her cheek and turned her head to the side so she wouldn't choke on her own blood.

When she was done coughing, she felt herself growing even weaker, as the darkness slowly crept on her. Her eyes began to close and Roy panicked. "Hawkeye? Hawkeye! Dammit Hawkeye, stay with me! It's an order! Riza! "

Her eyes opened again, and he felt hope surge through him. "Riza? Riza, look at me." She looked at him through half-lidded eyes. "Riza, you're not going to die, do you understand? You won't die. I won't let you. You're going to be alright." He gently took her upper body in his arms, careful not to disturb her wounds.

"You have to be alright." He whispered. "You have to. I need you."

Slightly confused , she kept looking at him, taking in his warmth. She thought she was dreaming. Was he actually holding her? Did he just say he needed her? No. She's just misunderstanding his words.

She tried to speak again, only to cough out blood once more. She gasped, struggling to breathe, as it was becoming harder and harder.

Riza felt herself slipping away. She tried to hold on, but she couldn't. She heard him calling her name, his voice frantic with worry. She gathered enough strength to open her eyes again, barely choking out his name. "R-Roy…" A single tear slid down her cheek before she could stop it.

"Riza…" He wiped it away with his thumb, and he caressed her face. "Please…don't die…don't die on me…Riza…don't go…Dammit Riza! I order you not to die! And you never disobey orders! Stay with me!"

"Roy…I..don't think..I can obey..this.."

"No! Riza! Don't go! Stay awake!"

"I'm…sorry…Roy…I…" She coughed out more blood, and that was it. She couldn't stay awake any longer. She couldn't tell him what she wanted to say. She wouldn't be able to. She slowly faded out of consciousness, Roy's voice growing distant. But she thought she heard him say something as everything faded to black.

_"I Love You."_

**So? What did you think? Please let me know and review! I'll try to update as soon as I can!**


	2. Waking Up

Roy looked at the sleeping woman on the bed beside him.

It had been three days since the "incident" at the Bradley mansion.

Many had happened during these three days.

King Bradley was exposed as a homunculus, thus clearing Roy's and his subordinates names.

Edward managed to get Alphonse's body back somehow, but he still had his Automail limbs.

General Grumman had become Fuhrer as well.

Roy had been promoted to the rank of Brigadier General.

Everything had happened so fast. Everything changed in those days.

But Riza still hadn't awoken.

The doctors said that she had lost a lot of blood, and she would be out for a few days. If they had been some minutes later, she would have been dead.

He sighed and got out of his bed, wincing a little in pain. His wounds were still healing as well, and he was stuck in the hospital for a few days. Luckily, there hadn't been many empty rooms in the hospital, so they were put in their own, private room. And the two of them were alone, as all his subordinates were out, working their ass off.

He pulled a chair and sat down near Riza's bed. He noticed how peaceful she looked, unlike the mask she always put on. _"She looks so beautiful with her hair down. She should wear it like that more often."_ He took her slender hand in his calloused one, gently brushing the hair out of her pale face with his other hand. "Come on, Riza. Don't you think it's time you woke up now?"

No response.

He sighed and, absent-mindedly, began caressing her cheek. They say it takes the near death of someone to actually realize your true feelings for them. And it was true. When he thought Riza was going to die that night, he suddenly realized why he pleaded with her to stay awake, realized why he would be shattered if she did die.

It wasn't just because she was a best friend.

It wasn't just because she was his Lieutenant, his bodyguard.

All that time, Maes was really his best friend. Roy really cared for all his subordinates, but the Lieutenant…Riza was a whole other story. He always had a special place in his heart for her. All these years, she had protected him and even comforted him when Maes was murdered. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he always knew he loved her, but never really realized it until she was nearly taken away from him. But he was always afraid that she didn't return his feelings. Even if he knew her better than everyone, this was THE Riza Hawkeye after all. But then, she did call him "Roy." Maybe she felt the same way about him?

He was snapped out of his thoughts when she weakly whimpered. "Riza?" He murmured gently to her. "Can you hear me? Open your eyes, Riza."

She lightly stirred before her eyes fluttered open.

"Roy?" It seemed she hadn't realized he was holding her hand. Or that she just called him by his first name.

"Yes, Riza? I'm right here." He smiled at her.

She blinked a few times, trying to register what was happening, before she suddenly sat up. "Sir! Are you alright? You were injured…" She winced in pain and clutched her abdomen.

"Hey. Calm down. You shouldn't be moving around. You have three serious gunshot wounds." He said worriedly, before pushing her carefully back onto the bed.

"But sir…" She began to protest, but he cut her off, putting his fingers to her lips. "Riza, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. You're the one who's badly hurt. You should lie down and rest. Or else I'll make it an order."

"Yes sir." She sighed and let him push her all the way down. _"Well…He seems rather concerned; I guess he rally cares, after all. And he keeps calling me Riza as well. I wonder…" _She winced again as soon as she lay down on the bed. He frowned. "How are you feeling?"

"Not too good, sir."

"Should I call the doctor? Do you need anything?"

"No, thank you, sir. That wouldn't be necessary."

"You know, you can call me Roy. It's not like we're at work or something." He decided not to remind her that she called him like that the other night.

"Um, alright, si-I mean Roy."

He smirked at her.

"Col-Uh, Roy." It felt a little weird, calling him like that. "How long have I been out? "

"Three days. Oh, and it's not Colonel anymore."

She stared at him, eyes wide. "What?"

"I've been promoted to Brigadier General."

She smiled. "Congratulations, sir."

"I see it's back to sir. Didn't I tell you to call me Roy?" He teased.

"Maybe it's because we're talking about work now, sir." She emphasized on the sir part, smiling playfully.

He gave her one of his trademark smirks, feeling unnaturally happy.

"So, what happened while I was out?"

He filled her in about everything that had happened in the last three days, noticing she looked a little tired when he had finished.

"Hey Riza?"

"Yes?"

_"Should I tell her now? I don't know…"_

"I'm really glad you're alright."

"Thank you. I'm glad you're alright as well, Roy." She smiled kindly at him, before trying to stifle a yawn behind her hand.

_"I think I should probably wait, she looks really tired."_

He smiled back at her. "I'll leave you to rest now, Riza. You need it."

"Alright, but you need to rest as well, Roy." She commanded.

"Fine." He sighed in defeat.

She lay back down on the pillow, closing her eyes. He gently bent down and brushed her forehead with his lips, before sitting back down in the chair. She opened her eyes in the slightest, "Good night, Roy."

"Good night, Riza."

She smiled to herself. Thinking,_ "Maybe he does feel the same…" _before drifting off to sleep.

**Another chapter! Sorry it took me some time to update, I'll try to post another chapter as soon as I can. Don't forget to review! **


	3. And Now The Tables Have Turned

**Hey guys! Sorry it took me a while to update, but I got sidetracked with many things. (Stupid Math. I HATE YOU!)**

**Anyway, off with the chapter!**

"Excuse me, sir?"

"Exactly what I said, Lieutenant. The doctors said they're going to release you today as you can complete your recovery at home." Roy frowned. "Probably the real reason is because they need the rooms. Damn Hospital! But anyway, my car is downstairs and the nurse will come soon with a wheelchair."

"Sir, really, there is no need to do this. I can take care of myself in my own house."

"Lieutenant, you can barely walk on your own. Also, you're going to have a high fever because of the medicines. You need to have someone with you. This is final, I'll be taking you to my house where you can recover. And besides." He smiled. "What good is a superior officer if he didn't care about his subordinates' health?"

_"Is that all I am to him, a subordinate?" _ Riza thought, disappointed. _"But then , would he do that to the others?" _Another voice questioned her.

"But sir…" She began to protest again, but he cut her off.

"Do I need to make this an order, Lieutenant?"

"No sir."

"Good." He smirked.

A nurse came through the doors, pushing a wheelchair and holding a paper. "Here we are, Miss Hawkeye. Just sign here and there." Then, she helped Riza onto the chair, before going down to the car.

"Thank you, nurse. I've got it from here." The nurse nodded and took the chair as soon as Roy helped Riza up and into his car. He closed her door and went to the other side and started the engine.

"Sir, I don't think it's necessary to do this."

"Lieutenant, you've always taken care of me. You've always watched my back and you were always there. You've saved my life many times." He paused and thought: _"You've saved my life just by existing." _ He continued. "The least I can do is take care of you, even for once." He smirked "And besides, I've already packed things you'll need from your apartment. The bag, as well as Black Hayate, are at my house right now."

She blushed for a second, before smiling warmly at him. "Thank you, sir."

"Back to the sir again?"

"Fine. Roy."

By the time they got to his home, he glanced over to her, only to see that she was fast asleep. He smirked (He's been smirking a lot today.) before getting out of the car and taking her gently into his arms, careful not to disturb her. He locked his car, and went to his bedroom where he laid Riza on the bed. She had already changed her clothes at the hospital so he just took off her shoes and pulled the covers over her. Planting a soft kiss on her forehead, he smiled and left the room.

Riza woke up some time later. She blinked a few times, trying to register where she was, before it clicked. She blushed a little at the thought that Roy carried her here. She sighed and turned her head towards the window. It was almost noon when they left the hospital, and now the sun was beginning to set. She started thinking about the mess that was practically everything. Havoc, Breda, Fuery and Falman came the morning after she woke up. They seemed quite relieved when they saw she was awake. Edward and Alphonse came an hour later. It was the first time they knew that Al got his body back, since Roy didn't tell anyone to keep it a surprise. She smiled when she remembered the scene.

_Everyone was chatting casually when Fuery asked: "By the way, what happened to Edward and Alphonse? They haven't showed up for a few days." _

_Roy smirked. "Well, haven't I told you?"_

_Everyone looked questioningly at him. He was about to talk, but was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come in."_

_The door opened and Ed came in, with a big grin on his face. "Hey there Colonel Bastard."_

_"Fullmetal, It's General now."_

_"Yeah well whatever. I guess you'll always be Colonel Bastard."_

_"Hey boss." Havoc said, noticing that Ed still had his automail. "Where's Alphonse?" _

_If it was possible, Ed's grin got wider, and turned around for a second. "Sure you don't need any help, Al?"_

_"Brother, I'm fine. I can walk on my own."_

_Everyone's eyes, except for Roy, widened in surprise. Al's voice didn't have that familiar metal tinge in it. Ed stepped into the room, then Al came in, walking with a cane, his hair shorter than his older brother, his face slightly pale, his body a little thinner than a fourteen year old should be, but he was back alright. Alphonse Elric was back in his body. He smiled widely at their shocked faces. "Hello everyone!"  
>When it registered to them that he was really back, they immediately began congratulating them and flooding them with questions.<em>

_"Oh my gosh! You really are back, Al!"_

_"That's so amazing!"_

_"So, what happened? How did you do it?"_

_"What are you planning to do now?"_

_It turned out that Ed chose to keep his automail limbs, so Al could use the rest of the Philosopher's tone to regain his body. Gluttony went berserk after eating from the stone, and killed Dante and Envy, before the stone proved too much for him and he died. _

_Ed and Al were planning to go back to Resembool (and to surprise Winry) in a week._

_But then, out of the blue, came Major Armstrong._

_"EDWARD ELRIC! HOW GOOD TO SEE YOU! AND WHO MIGHT THIS YOUNG LAD BE?" _

_"Major, it's me, Alphonse!"_

_Armstrong looked at him for a second in disbelief, before bursting into a mixture of manly tears and sparkles, pulling both Ed and Al into a bone-crushing hug. "EDWARD AND ALPHONSE ELRIC! YOU HAVE FULFILLED YOUR GOALS! THAT IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING I HAVE EVER SEEN!" Everyone laughed and chuckled until they thought the two poor boys might need some air._

Riza smiled again at the memory. She really cared about those two and it was just wonderful to finally see them like that. They had been through so much and they deserved happiness.

She began feeling tired, so she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep again.

**I've nearly finished Chapter 4, I just need to type it in, & it's gonna be the last one. I'll try to update tomorrow! Don't forget to review! =)**


	4. By Your Side

**Hi! I'm back with the last chapter! Thank you so much everyone for your lovely reviews!**

**(Note: 40 degrees Celsius is 104 Fahrenheit.)**

Roy entered the room nearly an hour after Riza fell asleep. He had taken a nap on the couch to prepare himself for the night. If what the doctor told him about the medication's side effects did happen, Riza had a difficult night ahead of her.

_"The side effects she'll probably have are unpleasant dreams, fever, and maybe hallucinations as well. However, if her fever gets over 40 degrees, you should bring her back to the hospital, so try to keep it below that number."_

Roy doubted he was going to get any sleep tonight, but that didn't matter much at the moment. Riza always took care of him, whether it was doing his paperwork for him at times (But mostly making sure he _actually_ did it.), or simply making sure he was alright if he got sick. She was the one who comforted him after Hughes's death. She was always there when he needed her. Hell, she was laying on this bed because she protected him, like she always does, when he wasn't even worth it.

_"What did I ever do to deserve a woman like you, Riza?"_

He sat on the edge of the bed and looked at her. She was sleeping quite soundly. _"She looks so cute when she sleeps. I don't want to wake her, but I have to."_

He gently began shaking her. "Riza? Riza? Wake up, it's time for your medicine."

She moaned sleepily, before she opened her eyes and looked at him, slightly confused. "Roy?"

"You have to take your medicine, Riza."

"Oh. Right. Yeah."

Sitting up, she took the pills and washed them down with water. Roy just noticed that her cheeks were flushed and the fact that she was sweating. He placed his hand on her forehead, only to pull it back immediately. "Not good, you're burning up."

"What?"

"Hold on a moment."

He opened the drawer near the bed and fumbled in it for a minute, before pulling out a thermometer.

"Riza, I need to take your temperature, alright? Looks like those side effects had already started."

She complied, and he put the thermometer into her mouth. He pulled it out a few minutes later and looked at the numbers. "38.9. Alright, why don't you lay down and I'll bring some washcloths." She nodded and he left the room, returning minutes later with a bowl of ice-cold water and washcloths. In those few minutes she seemed to be getting worse. He soaked one of the cloths with cold water and placed it on her forehead. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he took her hand into his.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm…ok."

He frowned a bit, feeling this unnatural heat. He had to keep her temperature down. He took the now warm cloth off her forehead and replaced it with another cold one. Nearly an hour later, while Riza was half-asleep, he noticed that the water had grown warmer than it should be, so he took the bowl and left the room. He returned after changing the water, only to hear Riza muttering something. He became immediately worried and rushed to her.

"Riza?"

"No…where…I don't want…"

_"Oh no. She's hallucinating."_

He put her hand on her forehead, but he drew it back quickly. "Dammit! When did her temperature become so high?"  
>Quickly grabbing the thermometer, he tried to talk to her, but she didn't seem to be aware of anything around her. When he took her temperature and looked at the numbers, he gasped.<p>

"39.5? Dammit. I must get it down quickly."

Pulling up the sleeves of her shirt, he put more cold cloths over her arms. She continued to talk, and he tried to comfort her, but she was so delirious to the point that she wasn't aware of his presence. It broke his heart to see her so weak and vulnerable.

Over the next few hours, he stayed by her side, stroking her hair and watching over her, changing her cloths, monitoring for any changes. Gradually, her hallucinations ceased and her face wasn't flushed anymore. It was near dawn when her temperature finally returned to normal. Roy sighed in relief, and smiled down at the sleeping woman in front of him. Black Hayate brushed against his leg, and Roy just noticed that the little dog was there the whole time too. He patted the pup's head, before leaning back in a chair and sleeping immediately.

He awoke some time later to the sound of soft whimpers. He glanced over to Riza, to realize that she was having a nightmare. And by the looks of it, it was a bad one.

He gently shook her. "Riza, wake up! Riza!"

Her eyes snapped open and she gasped. "R-Roy. I-I couldn't save you." She suddenly began to cry, and he carefully held her in his arms. "Y-You died. I couldn't save you…"

Never in his life did Roy expect to see Riza Hawkeye cry. Yet there she was, sobbing in his chest, over _him_.

"Shh. It's alright. It was just a dream. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

When she stopped crying, he didn't let her go. He held her close and, to his surprise, she let him.

"Riza…" She looked up at him.

He couldn't keep it in, not anymore.

He had to tell her.

It was now or never.

"That night, at Bradley's mansion..I..I thought I was going to lose you. I thought I had lost you. If you died that night, Riza, then I would have died too. I can't live without you. You're the reason I keep on living." He swallowed. "I love you, Riza Hawkeye."

He said it.

He actually said it.

And now would be the moment where she'll probably reject him.

He closed his eyes and waited.

Riza kept looking at Roy. She couldn't believe what she just heard. He loved her. He really loved her! She wasn't dreaming for sure, this was too beautiful to even be a dream.

"Roy Mustang."

He opened his eyes to see her smiling happily at him.

"That night, I prayed that I wasn't too late to save you. Then I prayed for one last chance to tell you how I truly felt. Roy, I can't imagine my life without you." She reached out and began stroking his cheek.  
>"I love you too, Roy."<p>

He looked into her Amber eyes, and she looked into his onyx ones. Before they knew it, they were slowly drawing closer, lost in each other's eyes. When he was about to close the small space between them, she murmured. "Roy, you know we can't.."

"Well." He began playing with her hair. "I've heard a rumor. A rumor that's got a high chance of being true. Since there's a new Fuhrer, some laws will change." She stared at him, eyes wide.

"You mean…"

He smirked. "Including the Fraternization laws."

Riza was speechless for a second, before throwing her arms around Roy's neck and kissing him fully on the mouth. He gently braced her back and, returning the kiss, pulled her closer to him. When they finally broke apart, he leaned his back on the headboard and adjusted Riza's position in his arms so that her head was resting against his chest. She turned her head to look at him, smiling softly. He began caressing her cheek. "I've been waiting for you for so long." He murmured to her.

"And I've waited since the day you asked me to watch your back."

He smiled at her, before saying: "Well, I guess waiting only makes things more valuable. And more beautiful."

He lay down on the bed, and she snuggled into his firm chest.

"I love you, Roy." She mumbled into his shirt.

"I love you too, Riza. So much." Kissing the top of her head, he held her even closer to him as they both drifted to sleep, tucked in each other's embrace.

Just outside the window, a pale, white figure grinned widely.

"It's about time those two got together!" The ghost of Maes Hughes said happily. "I wonder when they're going to get married!"

**FIN.**

**And done! Again, a big thank you for everyone who reviewed! Glad you liked the story! =)**


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